BodyWhys, the Eating Disorders Association of Ireland, has released an annual report, showing that the use of their listening, information and support services increased by 19.5%. Compared to their 2022 data, they have found an increase of 4,800 more service users in 2023.
BodyWhys is a voluntary organisation that offers support for people affected by eating disorders and their families in Ireland. An estimated 188,895 people in Ireland will experience an eating disorder at some point in their lives, and the increase in support service usage found by BodyWhys only further highlights the need for eating disorder support and awareness.
In a press release, Ellen Jennings, Communications Officer with Bodywhys, said “In 2023, we observed a significant rise in demand for our core support services across the helpline, email support and online support groups. Our helpline received 1,292 calls, reflecting an increase of 35%, compared to 2022. Over a quarter (27%) of queries to Bodywhys came by phone in 2023. Our email support service dealt with 2,346 queries, reflecting almost half (49%) of all queries responded to by our volunteers. Binge eating disorder arose as a key concern for many of our service users, particularly within our adult online support groups, virtual support groups and email support.”
Harriet Parsons, the Training and Development Manager at BodyWhys further commented on the number of young women and men attending the Association’s PiLaR programme, saying, “From a carer’s perspective, we continued to deliver our Family Support Package, through our free evidence-based PiLaR programme, accessed by 637 people in 2023. Over three quarters of people who attended PiLaR were supporting their daughter, whilst 10% were supporting their son. Almost a fifth (19.64%) were supporting a person experiencing avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID). Additional family services included the provision of 20 Post-PiLaR support groups, New Maudsley Carer Skills (NMCS) workshops and 13 NMCS podcast episodes for those supporting a family member.”
BodyWhys has several support services for both people affected by eating disorders and their families on their website as well as a helpline number and email support.
